Prepared for consumption: (dis)orders of eating and embodiment

Deconstructing Disordered Eating: A Feminist Psychological Approach to the Body, Food, and Exercise Relationship in Female Athletes

“…Any distress that an athlete might experience or body management behaviors (e.g., food restriction, calorie counting) that an athlete might engage in are reduced to, or explained as, individual (i.e., biological and/or psychological) deficits and/or dysfunctions (Bordo, 1992;Malson & Swann, 1999). Consequently, research grounded in objectivism advocates that the "cure" for disordered eating lies in treating and/or changing individual attitudes and behaviors (Markula, Burns, & Riley, 2008) to enhance one's internal body image and/or to change one's inner body dissatisfaction (Bonci et al, 2008;Grogan, 1999Grogan, , 2008Thompson & Sherman, 1993).…”

“…While addressing all of the reasons for our limited understanding is beyond the scope of this paper, one potential reason may be that disordered eating has been conceptualized and studied using objectivist forms of theorizing. Thus, many inherent meanings tied to the term (e.g., disordered eating is a female disorder, disordered eating is an individual psychological problem residing within the mind) have been taken-forgranted and reproduced (Bordo, 1992;Malson & Swann, 1999;Markula, Burns, & Riley, 2008). Research within psychology, sociology, and anthropology employing feminist perspectives on the body and disordered eating in nonathletic populations supports these notions (Becker, 2007;Bordo, 1992Bordo, , 1993Malson & Swann, 1999;Markula, Burns, & Riley, 2008;Nichter, 2000;Piran & Cormier, 2005).…”

“…Thus, many inherent meanings tied to the term (e.g., disordered eating is a female disorder, disordered eating is an individual psychological problem residing within the mind) have been taken-forgranted and reproduced (Bordo, 1992;Malson & Swann, 1999;Markula, Burns, & Riley, 2008). Research within psychology, sociology, and anthropology employing feminist perspectives on the body and disordered eating in nonathletic populations supports these notions (Becker, 2007;Bordo, 1992Bordo, , 1993Malson & Swann, 1999;Markula, Burns, & Riley, 2008;Nichter, 2000;Piran & Cormier, 2005). A small body of research in sport psychology grounded in feminist cultural studies further underscores exploring the role of sociocultural influences on athletic women's eating and exercise practices (Krane, 2001;Krane et al, 2001;Krane et al, 2004).…”

Is A Weight-Centred Health Framework Salutogenic? Some Thoughts on Unhinging Certain Dietary Ideologies

“…It may not be so much empty calories as the empty self (Cushman, 1990cited in Crossley, 2000) that is crying out for attention. New conceptual routes through the cultural and political discourses, ideologies and silences that construct and regulate our increasingly complex and distressed relationships with food, each other and our body/mind are required (Malson and Swann, 1999;Evans et al, 2002). Globalization (see Evans et al, 2002;Schuftan, 2003), violence and oppression (Katzman and Lee, 1997;Larkin et al, 1996) help focus the picture.…”

Understanding The ‘Too Fat’ Body and the ‘Too Thin’ Body: A Critical Psychological Perspective

“…Thus, the thin female body, whilst idealised, is at the same time, if it is deemed "too thin", also pathologised (cf. LeBesco 2009; Malson and Ussher, 1996;Malson and Swann, 1999) such that women at both ends of the weight spectrum are marginalized (Swami et al, 2010).…”